Claire Austin

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Claire Austin
Birth nameAugusta Marie
Born(1918-11-21)November 21, 1918
Yakima, Washington, U.S.
DiedJune 17, 1994(1994-06-17) (aged 75)
Willits, California
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Singer

Claire Austin (November 21, 1918 - June 19, 1994)[1] (born Augusta Marie)[2] was an American blues and jazz singer and pianist.[2]

Austin was born to Swedish-American parents in Yakima, Washington.[2] She played in nightclubs throughout the northwest in the 1930s[3] and toured with the Chuck Austin Band in the 1940s.[2] She retired from professional singing by the early 1950s and was working as an accountant in Sacramento for the state of California;[4] after singing with Turk Murphy, she frequently performed in San Francisco for two years.[4] She remained active through the 1970s.[5] Her singing style has been compared to Peggy Lee.[6]

Discography[edit]

  • Sings the Blues With Kid Ory (Good Time Jazz, 1954)
  • When Your Lover Has Gone (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Claire Austin and the Great Excelsior Jazz Band (GHB, 1966)
  • Goin' Crazy with the Blues with Gene Mayl (Jazzology, 1975)
  • Memories of You with Don Ewell (Audiophile, 1993)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Claire Austin". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d Harris, Sheldon (1979). Blues Who's Who. Arlington House. ISBN 0-87000-425-5.
  3. ^ Ron Wynn (21 November 1918). "Claire Austin | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b Glackin, William (24 May 1996). "Revisiting Jazz Greats: A Force That Shaped the Music". The Sacramento Bee.
  5. ^ "The Resurgence of Jazz". The Hour (Fairfield County CT). 19 June 1976. p. 21.
  6. ^ "Claire Austin Sings When Your Lover Has Gone: Claire Austin". Concord Music Group. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2014.